Masks
by Mithlin Megil
Summary: “…Yes. I took her life.” Itachi echoed, red eyes taking a far-away cast. “I took her life. But you, Hatake, you took her heart.” an old Kakashi/Hinata oneshot.


**Disclaimer: **Naruto, and all its characters, does not belong to me. This author is merely using them for entertainment, and thus is not receiving any kind of profit from this piece of work.

An old Hatake Kakashi/Hyuuga Hinata one-shot, done for an lj community (Sunny Day Love). Enjoy.

* * *

**Hatake Kakashi || Hyuuga Hinata **_"Masks"_

Hatake Kakashi walked down the street, silver hair glinting in the sunlight as he stopped in front of a flower shop, tucking his _Icha Icha Violence_in a back pocket as he ducked inside. It took a few seconds before his eyes could adjust to the dimness of the store, before the jounin could see Ino by the counter, discreetly waving at him.

"Aah. Yo."

Ino bowed, a strand of blond hair falling over her face as she spoke. "Kakashi-sensei, what brings you here?"

_I love white flowers – don't you think they're so pure?_

"I'd like to order a dozen white Stargazer flowers, Ino."

"Stargazer?" Ino fought to hide the surprise from her face as she went to place Kakashi's order. "Are you sure, Kakashi-sensei? I've got white tulips over here – they just arrived today, and –"

"They were her favourite."

"Oh." Sadness streaked across her face as she started to arrange the flowers, interspersing baby's breath with the flowers, wrapping them up in a delicate silver cloth and stringing the bundle with an intricate tie of silver twine. Ino handed the package over to the now silent Kakashi, blue eyes brilliant with tears. "Tell her – tell her I miss her."

The jounin simply nodded and took the flowers, leaving the shop after quietly saying goodbye to the blonde.

Ino closed shop soon after.

_I miss her, too._

_- - -_

"_We'll be stopping here for the night." Kakashi instructed the three chuunins. "There's no need to rush – we've got what we wanted, anyway."_

_Former Genin Team 8 nodded, as they set down their packs. A while later, a fire was crackling merrily, and three sleeping bags has been laid out, ready to be used once done eating. Again, Kakashi was reminded how Kurenai's team was different from his – how fluidly the three work together, how the level of trust the three chuunins have for each other makes them strong._

"_Ka-Kakashi-sensei?"_

_The jounin turned to see Hyuuga Hinata offering him food – real food, he noted somewhat with surprise, the jounin used to dried beef jerky and fish. He sniffed the air – beef stew, he realized, cooked just the way he liked it. "…Thanks, Hinata."_

_Blushing, the heiress nodded and ducked her head, moving to sit next to Kiba and Shino, who was quietly speaking to each other, both automatically moving to create space for her to sit. Her white eyes flashed dimly in the night as she laughed warmly; easily. And again, Kakashi was reminded – that no matter how warm those white eyes are, in battle, they can be as cold as death._

_Inanely, Kakashi wondered if she can see through his mask._

_- - -_

Kakashi walked slowly down the forest path, arms full of white stargazers. Warm laughter echoed through his ears, memories both fond and dear calling him like siren's song. Yet he couldn't bear to remember, can't bear to try and see those white eyes so beloved to him. It was bad enough that today was –

"_I love you, Kakashi."_

He hasn't answered her that fateful day – instead, has crushed her in his arms, unable to answer because he was too afraid. He laughed bitterly under his breath, how stupid had he been? He shouldn't have forgotten that a nin's life is short, that everyday you wake up alive is a blessing that you should thank the Higher Powers for. How soon she had made him forget, with her warm smiles and shy blushes, that their life is nothing more than tools, that there is no such thing as a normal life for people like them.

How quickly she made him forget, that they don't live forever.

_Burning white eyes shifted to him, and again Kakashi was struck by the question he had four years ago, but was unable to answer. He had been drawn quickly to the sound of splashing water on a normally tranquil lake, and was surprised to see someone training with such fierce devotion._

_But somehow, he wasn't surprised to see that the one training was she._

"_K-kyaaaa!"_

_Belatedly, at the sound of her soft shriek, he realized that she was naked._

_- - -_

"You can come out now," Kakashi murmured after a while, his grip on the flowers tightening then relaxing after a second. Resigned that this confrontation was fated to happen, the jounin shifted his grip on the flowers and pushed his Hitae-Te up then turned to face the intruder. "You know I already know you've been following me."

Sharingan met Sharingan.

Hate met hate.

Man met man.

Uchiha Itachi bowed mockingly. "Greetings to you, Hatake."

And the world bled into red.

- - -

_After their encounter at the lake, surprisingly, both of them have been assigned to various missions together – she to track down their quarry, he to end its life. It was also the time that Hinata started wearing bandages over her eyes and her Hitae-te over it. The question burned in his mind – until one day, he couldn't contain it anymore and finally asked her during one of the rare quiet times they had together._

"_Hinata-san," he murmured softly, so not to jar the quiet heiress, "…why do you wear the Hitae-te over your eyes?"_

_Wind softly blew over the clearing, and she turned her face to him. Again, Kakashi felt, that even with the Hitae-te over her eyes, the kunoichi can see through his mask – and if he was to be asked, even into his heart. It was unnerving – like his tainted heart was out there in the open, and he held his breath. After a while, Hinata turned her head back, tilting to feel the warmth of the sun._

_Kakashi followed suit, assuming that the heiress wouldn't answer. But suddenly, her soft voice broke the silence, answering his question that was left hanging in the air._

"_I wear this because… because I want to see."_

_- - -_

Stargazers lay scattered all over the forest floor, their purity tainted, the delicate wrapper and twine strewn amidst the green.

"_Kakashi-sensei, what flowers do you like?"_

"_Kakashi."_

"…_huh?"_

"_Call me Kakashi."_

The two figures clashed in the middle of the clearing and broke apart.

"…_Ka—Kakashi."_

_- - -_

_The jounin found, to his complete amusement, that no matter how precise Hinata's chakra control is, when it comes to Cat's Cradle, she was completely hopeless. Stifling his chuckle, he reached over and guided her pale hands with his own. "Don't rush, Hinata-san. Patience is the key."_

_Hinata smiled sheepishly as she let him guide her through the string. "I appreciate you teaching me this, Kakashi-sensei."_

"_Aah. Don't mention it .And what did I say about calling me Kakashi?" A while later – "There you go, all finished."_

_With a sigh of relief, Hinata let go of her special sight. She turned her face to where she could sense the jounin's warmth lay. "Thank you again, Kakashi-sen—eeep, I mean, Hatake-san."_

_Kakashi took out his orange book, and started to read. "If you would just take off the Hitae-te off your eyes, Hinata-san, then you'd get the hang of it." He absent-mindedly flipped a page, not really seeing the images, instead remembering the heiress' burning white eyes. "And why must you be all formal? Call me Kakashi, haven't I told you that?"_

_A moment of silence. Kakashi shifted, turned to see his suddenly-silent companion. "Hinata-san?"_

"_I am formal to you because…" Hinata smiled somewhat sadly. "…because you are that way to me."_

_- - -_

_I was formal to you, Hina-chan. Because that is the only way I could distance myself from your gentle warmth._

"Give up, Hatake. " Itachi commented mildly, watching the Konoha nin struggle to stand up. "You of all people know that you cannot win against me."

Kakashi glared, red eyes burning with hate. "I cannot. You took her away from me - you took her precious life! There is nothing more I want than to see your tainted blood spilled here, where she died. **Here, where you callously took her life!**"

"…Yes. I took her life." Itachi echoed, red eyes taking a far-away cast. "I took her life. But you, Hatake, you took her heart."

Kakashi stilled, sucking in a breath. "It was… it was you!"

- - -

_Even far away as he was, Kakashi could see Hinata talking to someone. Squinting in the bright sunlight, he tried to discern who it was, but before he could completely recognize the figure – who was familiar, and yet he couldn't remember who it was – it used a teleporting jutsu. Breaking out into a light jog, Kakashi tried to still the niggling sense of something __**wrong.**_

"_Hinata-san," he called out, and the heiress turned, smiling at him. "..Who was that?"_

_Twiddling her fingers, Hinata tilted her head. "Oh, a friend."_

"_A friend?" Kakashi frowned, and tried to tamp down a sudden burst of jealousy bubbling up his throat. "Mind telling me who he was? Is it someone I know?"_

"_Aah. I think you know him." Hinata tapped a considering finger against her lips. "…And you know what? He reminds me of you, Hatake-san."_

"_What do you mean?"_

_Boldly daring, Hinata reached up, and felt the planes of Kakashi's face, without the aid of her white eyes, blinded as they are. "He wears a mask too, just like you do."_

_It was then, Kakashi realized, that Hinata had seen through his mask all along._

_- - -_

Kakashi struggled to draw breath, blood dribbling down his lips as he forced himself to speak. "So… it was you all along. The friend Hinata wouldn't speak of." He coughed, tried to move, to stare his opponent – in more ways than one – in the face. "…and yet you killed her."

"Because love is a mere illusion." Itachi looked up in the sky. "…no more an illusion than she."

_Kakashi… I love you._

Kakashi closed his eyes.

_Hinata… I love you._


End file.
